


Happy to be Alive.

by CosmicCurator



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Compliant, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Abuse, M/M, Post Shido's Palace
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-23
Updated: 2019-11-23
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:53:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21536269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CosmicCurator/pseuds/CosmicCurator
Summary: Awake? Yes… He was awake. More importantly… He was…. Alive.
Relationships: Akechi Goro/Sakamoto Ryuji
Comments: 1
Kudos: 44





	Happy to be Alive.

**Author's Note:**

> Me: I hate Goro Akechi
> 
> Also me: Anyways, here's a 1.8k one shot of Goro being soft and caring with Ryuji. 
> 
> Inspired by a discussion on discord about Akechi living and finding Ryuji after *that* scene.

"Oww…." 

A nearby groan woke him up… Awake? Yes… He was awake. More importantly… He was…. Alive. Goro sat up and started feeling around his chest and torso. ' _No pain_ .' He looked down and opened his jacket. ' _No blood_.' What happened back there? He remembers facing his cognitive double. And drawing his gun and… Then… 

Another groan broke his line of thought. "Might as well see what happened." Slowly he stood up. He took another cursory glance at himself. ' _Everything looks fine._ ' And he walked over to the direction of the groans. 

* * *

He saw a body lying down under a lamp post. "Oh no." He started jogging towards it. As he got closer he recognized who it was. ' _Ryuji_.' Ryuji Sakamoto. A brash delinquent from Shujin Academy. But more importantly, a member of the Phantom Thieves, codenamed Skull. Goro stopped, unsure how to proceed. Ryuji seemed to be in pain, and a part of him wanted to help, despite the fact he never particularly cared for the guy (truthfully he never cared for any one of the Phantom Thieves, but Ryuji's blunt nature grated on him the most). But another part of him knew nothing but trouble would come to him if he revealed himself, especially to a member of the Phantom Thieves. Goro resolved himself to leave the boy alone and started to leave. 

"Is someone there?" Ryuji groaned. He sounded weak and in need of help. 

"Fuck." Goro silently cursed to himself as he turned back around and, against every survival instinct in his being, ran towards Ryuji. Once he reached him he kneeled down. "Ryuji, are you okay?" 

"Akechi? What?" 

"Are you hurt?" 

"W-well yeah but… Wait, what're you doin!?" 

Goro reached behind Ryuji and gently pushed him up into a seated position. With his free hand, he held up two fingers. "How many fingers am I holding up?" 

"Two. But--" 

Goro reached into a jacket pocket and pulled out a pen light. "This might be a little bright, but look directly at me, not at the light. And try not to blink." Goro turned on the light and started shining it around Ryuji's eyes to check their response. 

Ryuji started following Goro's instructions for a moment. But then he shook his head and pushed Goro. "Man, what the hell are you doing!?" 

"I'm…" What was he doing? "I'm trying to help you!" 

"I don't need any of your friggin help!" Ryuji responded 

Goro huffed. "Well fine then. Fuck you too!" he pushed Ryuji back and stormed off. 

Then he heard a loud thud. "Owww… Fuck…."

Goro gasped, realizing what he just did and ran back. He kneeled back down next to Ryuji. "Oh my God! Ryuji I am so sorry!" He apologized. 

"Wh-what for?" Ryuji asked. 

The question confused Goro. "F-for pushing you back like that."

"Why are you apologizin to me?" 

Another weird question. "Cuz…. Cuz I hurt you…" 

Ryuji sighed and winced as he turned his head to look at Goro. "Why do you care what happens to me?"

"I…" Why did he care? He never liked Ryuji before. But now… 

**********************************

_In the end, I couldn't be special._

_You're more than special!!_

**********************************

Goro gasped as those words came back to him. He also remembered hearing banging on the metal shutter while Ryuji screamed his name.

"What?"

Goro looked down and took Ryuji's hand "You said I was more than special…"

Ryuji laughed "Aha. That's it?" Goro was confused by Ryuji's immediate dismissal of his feelings. But Ryuji kept talking before he could say anything else. "I was just statin the facts. Of course you're more than special. Just look at you. I mean sure you're an annoying prick, overall asshole, and a killer--" Goro winced at that last one. "--but the youngest detective in the city, maybe even all of Japan. You're super smart and popular and hot. People really listen to what you have to say. So yeah. Of course you're more than special, Akechi. You shouldn't need a dumbass like me to tell you that. But since you did, I'm glad to be the dumbass that told you."

"Wow. Did that last hit knock your brains back into your head or something?" Was what Goro wanted to say. But stopped himself. He did, however, want to ask another question. "Did you just call me hot?" 

"Oh did I?" Ryuji blushed but smiled. "I guess so. Maybe that last hit knocked my brains out of my head or somethin." They both laughed. Ryuji wrapped his arms around his stomach and started coughing. 

"Are you okay!?" Goro asked alarmed. 

"Y-yeah…. I think it just hurts to laugh still."

"Can you get up?" 

Ryuji tried to push himself up but started groaning. "No I don't think so. Can you help me?" 

Goro nodded. He stood up and held out his hand. Ryuji took it and Goro slowly pulled him up. "Careful. You're doing good. Don't hurt yourself." 

Together, they slowly but surely managed to get Ryuji standing upright. "Thanks."

"No problem." Goro smiled. "Where do you live?" 

"Oh uh… Right over-- Ugh…" Suddenly Ryuji started getting dizzy. He leaned against Goro and put his arm around his shoulder to help steady himself. 

"R-RYUJI!?" Goro's face burned at the sudden closeness, but he was too preoccupied with Ryuji's well being to really think about it. 

"S-Sorry! I just got really dizzy. I think I'm better now." Ryuji tried to stand up on his own again, but Goro wrapped his arm around his waist and held him in place. 

"We need to get you home. Is your mom there?" 

"Uhh….." Ryuji closed his eyes and pinched between his eyebrows, trying to remember. "No. She's working overnight so she won't be home til morning."

Goro sighed. "No choice then… I'm taking you to my place. I have some pain meds and a first aid kit in case you're bleeding."

"O-okay then…. Lead the way then!" 

* * *

"OW SHIT!" Ryuji exclaimed. 

"I told you it was going to sting! Now stop moving so I can bandage it." Goro carefully placed a bandage on the cut on Ryuji's forehead. "There. Those girls really should've held back."

"Ya think?" Ryuji tried to make a joke but Goro wasn't having it. "Are we done yet?" 

Goro had inspected Ryuji above the neck. Luckily the only wound was above his left eye brow. And although it was a little sore, there wasn't any bump or bleeding from the back of Ryuji's head where he got hit when Goro pushed him. Right now he's having Ryuji hold an ice pack in that spot just in case. But that wasn't the only place he needed to check…. "No… I…." Goro cleared his throat. "I need to take off your shirt to make sure you're not bleeding anywhere else." Goro knew, despite his best efforts, he was blushing like crazy at the thought of taking Ryuji's shirt off and Ryuji could definitely see that. He also expected Ryuji to decline. Instead, Ryuji grabbed the collar of his shirt and slowly pulled it off, groaning as he moved." Oh. Wow." Goro was now staring at a shirtless Ryuji. 

"Heh. Pretty nice body don't you think?" Ryuji teased. 

Goro's face went fully red. He quickly turned and ignored Ryuji's attempt to tease him. "So you're not bleeding but there are some minor bruises…" He gets up and goes to the bathroom and came back with something in his hand. "I'll put some aloe vera on those spots and bandage them to help them heal quicker."

"Oh c'mon Akechi. Don't leave me hangin like that!" Goro didn't respond. "You know I saw your face right?" Still nothing. "What's the big deal? I mean I already told you I thought you were hot. And you are! I sure as hell wouldn't mind if you thought I was hot."

Goro groaned "Alright fine! Yes! I think you're hot, Ryuji Sakamoto! Sexy even! Hell I thought you were hot when I met you back in the TV station! If we were under literally any other circumstances, I would be enjoying the view of your hot, shirtless body! I'd probably enjoy other things as well if you were okay with them! But right now I have to tend to your bruises. So shut up and stop moving!"

Despite purposely egging Goro on, Ryuji got really quiet. Goro noticed his face got really red and he looked away. "Th-thanks."

"God. Sexy as hell and you still manage fucking adorable too. That's barely fair, Ryuji." Goro muttered quietly to himself. He knew Ryuji could hear him but didn't care. He felt Ryuji gently touch his back and smiled. "Alright done!" Goro announced. 

"Finally! Can I go to sleep yet?" 

"Did you take the meds I gave you?" Instead of answering, Ryuji just opened his mouth to show Goro it was empty. "You could've just said yes." He sounded annoyed but he was smiling. "Yes you can get to sleep now." Goro started to walk away. 

"W-where are you goin?" 

"I'm going to sleep on the couch and leave you in my bed."

"But why? You have this big ass bed. We could both fit in here!" 

"I-I know… But…" Goro wanted nothing more than to sleep with Ryuji. But he couldn't. Not right now. Not like this. 

"Besides, I can't really move like this so it's not like I can really do anything!" 

"I know Ryuji, but--" Goro turned around to face Ryuji and was shocked. Ryuji looked so sad. "Ryuji?" 

"Please?…. Please don't leave me alone." Ryuji said softly. 

Goro could feel the heartbreak and desperation to feel someone close to him in his voice. "Okay." Goro turned out the lights and crawled into bed next to Ryuji. He left plenty of space between them just in case he moved in the middle of the night. "Good night Ryuji."

"Good night, Akechi."

Goro closed his eyes. He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. As he was drifting off to sleep, he felt Ryuji's hand touch his. Goro sharply inhaled as Ryuji held his hand and interlocked their fingers. "Hey Goro?" 

"Y-yeah?" ' _He called me Goro_ …'

"Thanks…. Thanks for everything tonight." Ryuji squeezed his hand but didn't let go. 

Goro closed his eyes and moved himself closer, rolling onto his side when he was next to Ryuji. He wrapped his other arm around Ryuji's arm and gently kissed Ryuji's shoulder. "Hey Ryuji? Thanks for… For saying I was more than special." Ryuji didn't respond but let go of Goro's hand slowly moved his arm up. Goro could feel Ryuji moving and hear slight groaning before he felt Ryuji's hand on top of his head. Ryuji pat the top of his had and slowly moved his hand down. He stopped for a moment to gently caress Goro's cheek before moving back down and taking Goro's hand again. Goro fell asleep. 

Happy to be alive. 

Happy to be with Ryuji. 


End file.
